Ten people were killed as a series of earthquakes – one of them measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale – struck the Indonesian island of Lombok throughout Sunday, The Guardian reported. This was the third set of earthquakes that has struck the popular tourist island since July 29.
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake was the first to hit Lombok on Sunday morning, triggering landslides and causing people to run out of their homes. Another struck 12 hours later, and was first measured at 7.2 by the United States Geological Survey, but later revised down to 6.9, Reuters reported. Five other significant aftershocks were also recorded.
“We are still collecting data on the exact number [of people who died],” disaster agency spokesman Agung Pramuja told AFP on Monday.
Two of the people died in the eastern part of the island and three on the neighbouring island of Sumbawa. A person had died from a suspected heart attack in the morning earthquake, which caused panic but not much damage. The earthquakes were also felt on Bali island.
Nearly 500 people were killed and several were left homeless after the earthquakes on the island on July 29 and August 5. There have been 30 earthquakes on the island since July 28, according to AFP.
The Indonesian archipelago is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity.
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